Monique Dekker, GM Park Hyatt Vienna
We were delighted when we heard that Monique had been charged with opening the new Park Hyatt in Vienna for at least two reasons. Firstly, we have long felt that Wien, as an amazing cultural destination ought to have a Hyatt and secondly because Hyatt Regency Düsseldorf has been one of the best Hyatts in Europe during her time as GM there (it is still a great hotel). In our opinion HR Düsseldorf out-performs Park Hyatt Hamburg in every way. So we were quite excited to meet Monique two days after the official opening party. Although she must have been busy, Monique didn't show it at all and impressed us with her perfect calm and diplomacy, warmth and friendliness. She also speaks a ridiculous number of languages. As well as her native Dutch, she is fluent in English, German and French. She confessed that her Japanese has atrophied a little since she no longer uses it every day. She's pretty good at getting things done too. We mentioned in passing that there were two small technical issues with our room and found they had both been fixed before our return there three hours later.
That fantastic linguistic ability reflects a career which has taken her from The Netherlands, to the USA, Singapore and Japan before Germany and now Austria. Monique started her hospitality career as Mâitre D' at the St. Regis Hotel New York, before joining Hyatt a year later and moving to the Grand Hyatt New York, where she worked as a floor manager. From 1997 to 1998 she was at the Hyatt Harborside in Boston as Housekeeping Manager then spent a couple of years as Front Office Manager at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton. For the next five years Monique was Executive Assistant Manager Rooms at the Park Hyatt in Chicago. Afterwards, she worked for two years at the Grand Hyatt Singapore in the same position. Then there was a three year sojourn at Roppongi Hills Club (attached to the Grand Hyatt Tokyo) as General Manager where food & beverage was the main focus. In April 2010, she moved to Germany as general manager for the opening of the Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf.
That fantastic linguistic ability reflects a career which has taken her from The Netherlands, to the USA, Singapore and Japan before Germany and now Austria. Monique started her hospitality career as Mâitre D' at the St. Regis Hotel New York, before joining Hyatt a year later and moving to the Grand Hyatt New York, where she worked as a floor manager. From 1997 to 1998 she was at the Hyatt Harborside in Boston as Housekeeping Manager then spent a couple of years as Front Office Manager at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton. For the next five years Monique was Executive Assistant Manager Rooms at the Park Hyatt in Chicago. Afterwards, she worked for two years at the Grand Hyatt Singapore in the same position. Then there was a three year sojourn at Roppongi Hills Club (attached to the Grand Hyatt Tokyo) as General Manager where food & beverage was the main focus. In April 2010, she moved to Germany as general manager for the opening of the Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf.
We were curious about her experiences as a woman in the hospitality industry. We meet relatively few female GMs. As far as she is concerned, it has never been an issue even when managing Roppongi Hills Club in Tokyo, a very masculine environment. Her youth was more of an issue there in a culture where promotion tends to come with age rather than outright ability. So, she confidently asserts that there is no glass ceiling in this industry.
Monique is justifiably proud of a very successful opening in Vienna and having stayed in the hotel (review here) we cannot recommend it highly enough. She was keen to tell us about the plans for an outside terrace bar for which they have just received permission from the city authorities. That is an important part of linking the hotel to the local community as is The Bank restaurant. Monique expressed her great pleasure that Hyatt have brought in Stefan Resch, formerly of The New York Bar and Grill, Park Hyatt Tokyo as Chef de Cuisine. Stefan is from Styria, southern Austria, so we can look forward to some authentic local dishes as well as high quality international fare. Monique's opinion is that it is more important to please the dining guests than the critics but I'm sure she won't mind the accolades that are bound to mount over the next few years. She's not applying that kind of pressure to her staff though, she wants to establish a popular local eatery.
Extraordinarily, Monique had the ambition to be a hotel manager even as a small child and achieved that ambition in Düsseldorf before her 40th birthday. She wouldn't be drawn on any plans for her own future though, being completely focussed on the project in hand. We wish her every success and will certainly be back to enjoy this gorgeous hotel and Monique's hospitality again.
Monique is justifiably proud of a very successful opening in Vienna and having stayed in the hotel (review here) we cannot recommend it highly enough. She was keen to tell us about the plans for an outside terrace bar for which they have just received permission from the city authorities. That is an important part of linking the hotel to the local community as is The Bank restaurant. Monique expressed her great pleasure that Hyatt have brought in Stefan Resch, formerly of The New York Bar and Grill, Park Hyatt Tokyo as Chef de Cuisine. Stefan is from Styria, southern Austria, so we can look forward to some authentic local dishes as well as high quality international fare. Monique's opinion is that it is more important to please the dining guests than the critics but I'm sure she won't mind the accolades that are bound to mount over the next few years. She's not applying that kind of pressure to her staff though, she wants to establish a popular local eatery.
Extraordinarily, Monique had the ambition to be a hotel manager even as a small child and achieved that ambition in Düsseldorf before her 40th birthday. She wouldn't be drawn on any plans for her own future though, being completely focussed on the project in hand. We wish her every success and will certainly be back to enjoy this gorgeous hotel and Monique's hospitality again.
